Media and Elections: What About The Public's Responsibility?

"The public is the source of the problem. The people like to watch or read stories, the more sensational the better, and issues are boring. And the media is a puppet of the people. The people give their money to the one who amuses them the most. In this way the media keeps trying to please the people, make them happy. However, the media is not only puppet but puppeteer as well.

The media has power to change the way the public thinks; to influence them. The media can easily take advantage of people. So, in a way, the media is actually a lot like the government. It works for the people, and the politicians have to make those people happy so they'll vote for them. But once the politician is given power, he can manipulate the very people who put him in his office.

We can complain about the media, but it is a democratic system, and so we are the ones who have the power to change it." PA

"I think the public has become more open minded and doesn't allow the press to determine the outcome of the race for them." OR

"The American people also have a responsibility to be wise media consumers---to weigh and consider, not simply swallow media stories and commentaries. In short, Americans must think for themselves, rather than being programmed to buy a candidate the way they might buy a product in the supermarket. For while Saturday Night Live's political satire may be humorous, electing the right candidates to national office is not a laughing matter." OH

"In order to overcome the barrage of gossip the media rains down upon us, we must exercise our constitutional right to change channels, stick by our own beliefs, and listen to the real facts. . . . The option of changing channels, or not listening, lies with the individual viewer, listener, or reader. . .

Each person had to take into consideration that the media cannot always be relied upon to provide just the facts. The facts must be carefully weeded out and the truth allowed to take root and the rumor to wither away. In all instances, the power belongs to the people, not the media." IL

"The press alone cannot be blamed for trashy stories, or apocryphal attacks on politicians' reputations. They wouldn't write them if the public didn't want to read them." NH

"The public is vulnerable and an easy target for the media. We take what they give us and believe it and live by it as if it were the gospel. The media is only part of the problem. The public is the other part of the problem. We need to learn to think for ourselves. We need to quit letting ABC, CBS, or NBC decide how we feel about abortion and other political issues. . . It is up to us to form our own opinions." OK

"A voter should form his opinions about a candidate by watching news programs or reading unbiased news articles and then reading the editorials to gain a deeper understanding of each candidate's platform. The voter should be aware that the editorials are attempting to sway his feelings about the issue. This is not to say that editorials are bad. They are a good source of information about a candidate. The reader must simply avoid making someone else's opinion his own." WI

"The public must educate itself to keep the government and the media honest . . . First, accept nothing less than the truth. Second, call the networks on their corrupt ideas and opinions that do not belong on the news. Third, do research on the candidates, be correct in the information collected and present it to the network as proof of their mistakes. Most importantly, be smart in voting and in the preliminary voting decisions. Beware of prejudiced media---it ruins the country." CA

"But we should do ourselves a favor by trying to find information on a candidate even if the media doesn't supply it for us. Maybe we shouldn't just sit at home reading a newspaper or watching the TV , waiting for (information) to reach us. When we vote make sure it is our decision and not the media's . . ." IL

"We have become lazy and no longer try to learn or choose anything for ourselves. We do not search for the information about our presidential candidates, but instead, we allow ourselves to be force-fed the media's biased opinions. We must find our own." OH

"Through letters of protest and better suggestions to major networks and magazines, changes could be made. We should not be spectators in this system between politics and the media, but rather participants in the effort of making the system better." TN

"The public has essentially donated their brain to the media, giving them absolute power on how each candidate is viewed. Instead of forming our own opinions we are subliminally told who to vote for and why." OR

"One voter even said he would vote for Illinois House of Representative Democratic candidate Richard (Dick) Durbin because he has the same initials." IL

"People should also be level-headed enough to listen to the facts, ignore the media's opinions, and form opinions of their own." KS

"Although the media may have a slanted point of view, if the voter is responsible and takes the time to research for himself, he will make the right choice." AL

"We are the consumers. If we are unhappy with the material that is presented to us, we must take action to ameliorate the problem. . . . The media is simply a mirror of the public. . . . Though the truth is sometimes distorted, I believe Americans are only vaguely affected by the news. When it comes down to election day, Americans will use their own heads and vote for the person who is the best choice for the job." PA

"We are people with highly developed thinking processes yet, we are the same people who when we are in the check out line in the grocery store we stop and read the trash magazines such as the Enquirer." OH

"Let the people choose themselves who is fit, or is not fit, to be president. That is what American democracy is all about." SD

"As voters, our responsibility is to be aware of the real issues, to watch for and discount media bias, and to make smart choices based on facts, not hype." IL

"Ultimately, it is all in the hands of the American voter. This is one of the few nations where an informed electorate is more powerful and efficient at overthrowing its government than an entire army. Our melting pot of average citizens can do more with the flick of a switch in a voting booth, than it can do with a missile. America, what a country! WI

"The media plays an enchanting game of mind control and most have fallen under its spell at one time or another. The only way to break this spell is through education. When people are educated they have the keys to their country and the future is at their command." TX

"The only way to get the true information is read and research these people, and then form your own opinion of them. Now we just sit back and wait for the TV to form our opinions for us. With networks and newspapers endorsing candidates the way they do, we don't have a chance. . . We are being brain washed into a candidate we know nothing about. It's time for us to get off our couches. . . This is our nation and we will get what we want. We need to get rid of the lazy attitude and stand up for ourselves." OH

"We as citizens of the United States of America can use the media to our advantage when choosing candidates for our nation. If we all devote ourselves to making our own independent decisions after hearing the facts, then we will appoint leaders into office that can pilot this nation towards a life of prosperity for all." CA

"Our ancestors fought hard to obtain the right to(vote). It is up to each individual voter to find out his or her own information on the candidates and not depend totally on the media . . . if we as Americans want a change it has to start with us. If we want the media to change we should all write letters telling them how we feel. Stop blaming everybody else. Don't tell people they are wrong, tell them why they're wrong and what they can do about it." PA

"It is a fact that television and the media will forever be a driving force in presidential elections and in American politics in general. The key to choosing the right candidate is for voters to inform themselves to a greater extent, more than just watching television or reading the newspaper. Voters must gather information themselves in order to make an informed decision. Voters must also make it clear to the media that biased coverage of elections and events is not acceptable. Only if the voters of America do these things can we be sure that our elected officials are chosen by we the people and not they the media. MD

"It is our job, as the consumers, to separate fact from fiction, bias from straightforward journalism; for the truth is that the message sent is not nearly as important as the message received, and with the media, those two items can be worlds apart." OH

"Although the various forms of media provide us with information that would be impossible for us to otherwise attain, we must challenge the material that we are given." NY

"We now see that the call for us is to find the truth. We needn't accept what the media feeds us as gospel; we must not. We must absorb all that they feed us with a healthy dose of skepticism. We, as intelligent and informed Americans, must come to our own conclusions and stop letting the media manipulate our thoughts." KY

"One of the major problems involving the media's role in national elections is the laziness of the people who either claim they are too busy to investigate the candidates' ability themselves, or tht they just don't care. These people are the same ones who will complain for years after the election that the country is not run fairly or that they feel they are not properly represented.

. . We are voting people into office based on what we hear, rather than what we know. We are voting on others' opinions of candidates, not facts. A good portion of the voters don't even know who is running until they enter the voting booth.

This is no way to elect someone who is going to have control over what we do. We, as voters, need to gain as much information as we can on each candidate and make a decision (as to) the truth . . . media coverage should stick to the issues." IL

"Yes, the government is affected by the media, but the public affects the media. Therefore one needs to support honesty in every aspect and it will reflect on both the media and the government." SD